Georgian prisoners harassed for political views

TBILISI, DFWatch – Georgia’s ombudsman is reporting another case of mistreatment of a prisoners and asks the prosecutor to investigate the cases.

The Public Defender writes that his team visited Manuchar Akhvlediani, Irakli Chantralze and Irakli Dundia, who are convicted of administrative offenses. The three are serving their term at a temporary detention center in northern Georgia.

According to the report, the three were mistreated by employees at the prison facility, and the mistreatment may be related to the detainees’ political views.

“The employees of the isolator had demanded that they undress and do squat exercises,” the public defender writes, adding that there was also verbal abuse.

“One of them says that the employees often knocked on his cell door, in order not to let the prisoner sleep, and that he felt an ironic attitude from them. When the prisoners demanded items provided by law, the public servants replied mockingly and pointed to their political opinions.”

The ombudsman considers the actions a violation of the Criminal Code and asks the prosecutor to investigate the cases.

The prison system has lately been criticized by international both local and foreign organizations. The Public Defender’s latest report on human rights describes in detail the difficult situation in Georgia’s prisons, highlighint the fact that the conditions are below minimum standards and that prisoners are being beaten and tortured for their political views, or for trying to complain to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and asked to withdraw their complaints.

Deaths in Georgian prisons are a subject of concern. The number of such deaths has increased dramatically the last two years.